At Shaw Industries Inc., safety is the number one priority. Shaw officials say they are very proud that so far for 2015, crews have worked safely without any recordable injuries, in fact we have worked safely for more than six months consecutively. A new program began in the last quarter of 2014, the Shaw ZVIP (Very Involved People) program. This program highlights employees that are working safely but also recognizes them for other accomplishments.

Every four quarters associates are recognized that meet the criteria to be in the ZVIP Program: 90 days perfect safety and 90 days perfect attendance.

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce joined with the Macon County Art Association at the Uptown Gallery to celebrate a grand reopening with a ribbon cutting celebration. The Uptown Gallery is located at 30 East Main Street in downtown Franklin. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

MCAA is a non-profit organization for artists and art lovers that enriches the community by promoting all visual arts. They are committed to inspiring and encouraging visual artists at all skill levels including classes for children. Classes are offered every Tuesday which includes all mediums.

To combine finances or not to combine finances? It’s a question most couples consider as their relationships get more serious. The answer; however, is not so simple.

“In the not-too-distant past, couples didn’t think much about combining their finances. After marriage, they would open joint bank accounts, take out a mortgage and share all the income and expenses,” said Mike Sullivan, director of education for Take Charge America, a national nonprofit credit counseling and debt management agency. “Yet things have changed. Today, it’s more common for both partners to earn incomes and to bring debts and assets to a relationship, making the process much more complicated.”

Millions of Americans face a challenge in meeting their budgets every month – not just financially, but also in their time budgets, says investment advisor Reid Abedeen.

“Knowledge is power and time is often money, but what if you don’t have the time to empower yourself with knowledge? For many households, that often means losing out on thousands of dollars through tax deductions,” says Abedeen, a partner at Safeguard Investment Advisory Group, LLC (http://www.safeguardinvestment.com/).